By-election chaos: OccupyGhana wants full-scale independent inquiry

Pressure group OccupyGhana is proposing a full-scale independent inquiry into the conduct of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.

The group said it is disappointed “that a by-election right in the capital of Ghana could degenerate into such acts of violence, some of which were captured in pictures and videos that are making the rounds in the traditional and social media.”

According to them, they are “at pains to understand why security personnel being sent on election duties would have their faces covered as if they were on some special forces operations in a war zone. We find that unacceptable and a gross breach of modern day policing methods.”

They are, therefore, are calling upon the government to immediately constitute a proper commission of inquiry under Chapter 23 of the Constitution to inquire into these matters.

OccupyGhana has noted with grave concern, reports of violence, including shootings with live ammunition that occurred during the by-election that was held in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in Accra.

We are disappointed that a by-election right in the capital of Ghana could degenerate into such acts of violence, some of which were captured in pictures and videos that are making the rounds in the traditional and social media.

We condemn all such acts and call for the perpetrators to be brought to book and punished in accordance with the law.

We note that the Ghana Police has stated in a Press Release dated January 31, 2019, that it will investigate the incidents of violence. While agreeing that the police may investigate the matters with a view to causing the prosecution of offenders, we would propose that an independent body conducts a full-scale inquiry into the matter.

Some of the video footage that we have seen show that some of the masked men who are accused of the intimidation and violence, and certainly one of the persons who assaulted a Member of Parliament, were in vehicles that bore the name or insignia of the police.

The police that stands accused, at the very least, of complicity in these matters, cannot investigate the overall issue of the violence that occurred.

We certainly are at pains to understand why security personnel being sent on election duties would have their faces covered as if they were on some special forces operations in a war zone. We find that unacceptable and a gross breach of modern day policing methods.

That is why we are calling upon the government to immediately constitute a proper commission of inquiry under Chapter 23 of the Constitution to inquire into these matters. No person or group of persons should be allowed to destroy our reputation, disrupt our peace and denigrate the pillars of civility we have worked so hard to achieve